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Regional Styles

Cochinita Pibil and the Tacos of Yucatán

The Yucatán peninsula has a cuisine all its own, shaped by Maya traditions, Spanish ingredients, and Caribbean trade. Its most famous dish is cochinita pibil: pork marinated in achiote and sour orange, wrapped in banana leaves, and slow-roasted until it pulls apart with a fork.

Cochinita pibil with pickled red onion
Photo: El Nuevo Doge / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

The name

Cochinita means little pig (traditionally a suckling pig). Pibil comes from the Yucatec Maya word pib, an underground earth oven. A pit is dug, lined with stones, and a fire is built until the stones are glowing hot. The wrapped meat goes in, the pit is covered, and hours later dinner emerges smoky and tender.

The flavors

  • Achiote (annatto): the seeds of the achiote tree, ground into a brick-red paste (recado rojo) with spices such as cumin, oregano, black pepper, and allspice. It gives cochinita its color and earthy flavor.
  • Naranja agria (sour orange): a bitter, tart citrus common in Yucatecan cooking. Outside the region, cooks often approximate it with a mix of orange and lime juice, sometimes with a splash of vinegar.
  • Banana leaves: wrapped around the meat to keep it moist and add a subtle, grassy aroma.

Serving it

Cochinita is served in tacos, tortas, and panuchos (fried tortillas stuffed with black beans). The essential topping is cebolla morada encurtida, red onion pickled in sour orange, usually with a fiery slice of habanero, the chile most associated with the peninsula. Sunday mornings in Mérida often mean a cochinita torta and a cold drink.

A glass of horchata
Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Other Yucatecan dishes worth hunting down: poc chuc (citrus-marinated grilled pork), relleno negro (turkey in a black chile paste), and sopa de lima. Browse more regional styles.

Tacos de Canasta: Mexico City’s Sweaty Basket Tacos

If you have spent a morning in Mexico City, you have probably seen a bicycle with a big wicker basket strapped to the back, wrapped in blue plastic and cloth, and a vendor calling out tacos de canasta. Inside are dozens of small, soft tacos, stacked and steaming. Their nickname, tacos sudados (“sweaty tacos”), explains the texture perfectly.

Tacos de canasta in Coyoacán
Photo: Jorge A. Ramos Ruiz / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
[Read more…] about Tacos de Canasta: Mexico City’s Sweaty Basket Tacos

Crispy Baja Fish Tacos with Chipotle Crema

Prep (min)

20

Cook (min)

15

Total

35 min

Serves

4 (8 tacos)

Difficulty

Medium

Heat 🌶

2

🥄 Pairs well with: Pico de Gallo, Chipotle Crema

Ensenada and San Felipe, on the Baja California peninsula, both lay claim to the battered fish taco. Wherever it started, the formula is simple and perfect: hot, crackly fish, cool shredded cabbage, a creamy sauce and a squeeze of lime. This version adds chipotle to the crema for a smoky kick.

Ingredients

Chipotle crema

  • 1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 to 2 chipotles in adobo, minced, plus 1 tsp adobo sauce
  • Juice of 1/2 lime and a pinch of salt

Fish and batter

  • 1 1/2 lb cod, halibut or mahi-mahi, cut into 4-inch strips
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dredging
  • 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 cup cold Mexican lager
  • Neutral oil for frying

To serve

  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 2 cups finely shredded green cabbage
  • Pico de gallo, sliced radish and lime wedges

Method

  1. Stir together the crema ingredients and refrigerate.
  2. Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 375°F (190°C).
  3. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and garlic powder, then whisk in the cold beer until just smooth. Lumps are fine.
  4. Pat the fish dry, season with salt, dredge in plain flour, then dip in batter.
  5. Fry in small batches for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden. Drain on a rack, not paper towels, to keep it crisp.
  6. Warm the tortillas, add fish, cabbage, pico, a drizzle of crema and a squeeze of lime.
PrepCookServes
20 minutes15 minutes4 (12 tacos)

Want more coastal flavor? Browse the Baja tag.

Slow-Cooked Birria de Res Tacos with Consommé

Prep (min)

30

Cook (min)

210

Total

4 hrs

Serves

6 (18 tacos)

Difficulty

Weekend project

Heat 🌶

3

🥄 Pairs well with: Salsa Roja de Chile de Árbol

Birria comes from Jalisco, where it is traditionally made with goat and served as a stew. The word itself is a joke: birria means something like “a worthless mess,” supposedly what Spanish colonists called the tough goats they left to locals. The locals got the last laugh. Here in taco form, the Tijuana-style beef version (birria de res) has conquered the world, thanks largely to the ritual of dipping crispy tacos into a cup of hot consommé.

Crispy red birria tacos
Photo: T.Tseng / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Ingredients

  • 3 lb (1.4 kg) beef chuck, cut into large chunks
  • 2 lb bone-in short ribs or oxtail (for body in the broth)
  • 6 guajillo chiles, 3 ancho chiles, 2 chiles de árbol, stemmed and seeded
  • 4 Roma tomatoes and 1/2 white onion
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick (Mexican canela if you can find it)
  • 3 bay leaves, 4 whole cloves, 1 tsp cumin seed
  • 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano and 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 8 cups water or beef stock
  • Salt, corn tortillas, diced onion, cilantro, limes

Method

  1. Season the beef generously with salt and sear in batches in a heavy Dutch oven until well browned. Set aside.
  2. Simmer the chiles, tomatoes, onion and garlic in water for 10 minutes until soft.
  3. Blend the softened vegetables with the cinnamon, cloves, cumin, oregano, thyme, vinegar and 2 cups of the cooking liquid until silky. Strain for the smoothest consommé.
  4. Return the beef to the pot, pour the sauce over, add bay leaves and the remaining water or stock. Bring to a simmer.
  5. Cover and cook on the lowest heat (or in a 300°F oven) for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the beef falls apart.
  6. Remove the meat and shred it. Skim the red fat from the surface of the broth into a small bowl and save it. Season the consommé with salt.
  7. Dip a tortilla in the reserved fat, lay it on a hot griddle, fill with beef, fold and fry until crisp on both sides.
  8. Serve with cups of consommé topped with onion and cilantro, and lime wedges for squeezing.

The quesabirria variation

Quesabirria tacos with melted cheese
Photo: Missvain / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

Quesabirria, the cheese-loaded version that exploded out of Tijuana and Los Angeles taco trucks in the late 2010s, is the same process with one addition: lay a handful of shredded Oaxaca cheese (or low-moisture mozzarella) on the fat-dipped tortilla before the meat. Let it melt and crisp at the edges, where it forms a lacy, frico-like crust. Some cooks go further and make a mulita, sandwiching the filling between two tortillas.

Can I make this in a slow cooker or pressure cooker?

Yes. Slow cooker: 8 hours on low. Pressure cooker: 60 minutes at high pressure with natural release, using about one cup less liquid.